Field notes · Dog training in Angier & Raleigh, NC

What level should an e-collar be set to?

One he can actually feel, rather than a level you creep up from. Starting below what he notices teaches him to ignore it, and the level you end up needing is permanently higher.

Finn, episode 81. All the way up, for the water

Finn, episode 93. "Better not to start really low" — if he doesn't get it, you creep up forever

In the trainer's words

It's like boiling the frog, and the end result is you've desensitized them. Instead of maybe you only needed it on a 50, now it's got to be all the way up to function. So it's better to just start out high, if the dog presents that way, so you don't end up always having it all the way up.Kelton, Head Trainer, Angier K9 Consultants

Seen with 1 dog: Finn

3 recorded moments, each one linked to the exact second it happens in a full training session published unedited. Trainers call this starting too low desensitizes.

All the way up, for the water 16:39
Finn · episode 81

All the way up, for the water

"Better not to start really low" — if he doesn't get it, you creep up forever 31:56
Finn · episode 93

"Better not to start really low" — if he doesn't get it, you creep up forever

"It's like boiling the frog" — start high so you never have to live all the way up 33:06
Finn · episode 95

"It's like boiling the frog" — start high so you never have to live all the way up

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